Atlanta Columnist Calls Out Trae Young After Hawks' NBA Draft Selection of Zaccharie Risacher

The Atlanta Hawks selected French teenager Zaccharie Risacher with the first overall pick of Wednesday night's NBA Draft, a development that has Hawks fans wondering about the team's future.

One of Risacher's opponents, ex-NBA guard Frank Mason, questioned the pick on Wednesday evening, saying that he did not believe Risacher was worthy of the number one overall pick.

As the Hawks prepare for the next phase of their championship building efforts with the controversial selection of Risacher in the rear view mirror, one Atlanta columnist decided to call out Trae Young over two aspects of his game that he says need fixing.

He also floated out the idea that the Hawks might want to trade either Young or high scoring shooting guard Dejounte Murray.

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"The Hawks must decide if (Trae) Young, (Dejounte) Murray or both go," The Atlanta Journal Constitution columnist Michael Cunningham said on Thursday .

"I believe they should keep Young and retool the roster around him.

"But the team won't reach its potential unless Young defers more offensively and gets more serious defensively," Cunningham added.

Cunningham added that Risacher and 2021 first round draft pick Jalen Johnson are a 'building blocks' for a potential championship plan.

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Last season, Young averaged 10.8 assists, just .1 points off of Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton's league-leading assists per game total.

Young played in just 54 games which is why his name is typically not listed among the 2023-2024 assists per game leaders.

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